Miranda boy wins National Geographic Kids contest; youth headed to Montana in July to go exploring

Miranda resident Dillian Staack can't wait to travel to Montana this summer to go exploring after recently learning he's won the field trip of a lifetime through National Geographic Kids magazine.

Dillian, 10, is one of 15 youths ages 9 to 14 that will travel to Montana in July to see the Missouri River, trace the footsteps of explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and learn about fossils in an archaeological dig for dinosaur bones. According to a press release, the youths will be accompanied by several National Geographic staff members.

Dillian said he's excited to have won the magazine's contest, which required him to submit a short essay and photograph detailing how he actively explores his world. He chose to write about his love of hiking and what it's like to live at 2,000-feet elevation in Miranda, about 57 miles south of Eureka.

"That's my life, I live out in nature," Dillian said. "I like living out in the mountains because it's peaceful."

Dillian said he's especially fond of finding and studying snakes, lizards and birds. His essay described how he hikes in the mountains around his home with a nature book in hand.

Rebecca Harrington, Dillian's mother, said she's extremely proud of her son and the effort he put into his essay. She said he was chosen out of more than 1,000 youths to travel to Montana and that National Geographic staff members called and interviewed him after narrowing down the entrants to the top 25.

Harrington said she was impressed by Dillian's response when interviewers asked him how he works as part of a team.

"He said our family is his team. He said, 'We all really have to work together to make it work out here,'" Harrington said.

Living in Miranda means the family has to plan ahead when it comes to shopping and stocking up on things like groceries and gasoline. Harrington said they live about 30 minutes from the nearest town, so her son has become accustomed to entertaining himself.

"We don't have cable or all the things that come with living in a bigger city," Harrington said.

Instead of watching cable television, Dillian goes fishing and reads the National Geographic Kids magazine. His grandmother bought him a subscription.

Dillian and his father, Eric Staack, look forward to going on the magazine's Hands-On Explorer Challenge expedition and meeting other children with similar interests. Staack said his son is already in contact with others going on the trip.

"He's already doing emails with those kids to get to know each other," Staack said. "He's such a smart boy, and to win such a trip is amazing."

Staack said he's never been to Montana and looks forward to accompanying his son to places like Glacier National Park.

Miranda resident Dillian Staack, 10, has won a trip to Montana with 14 other children as part of a contest through National Geographic Kids magazine. Staack's winning essay and photo were chosen from more than 1,000 entries. Excerpts from the winning entries can be viewed online at www.kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/ .